The present disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine, and more particularly to static structure thereof.
In a turbine section of a gas turbine engine, a support structure typically extend between an annular outer case and an annular inner case across a core path through which hot core exhaust gases are communicated. The support structure is often shielded by a respective high temperature resistant cast metal alloy aerodynamically shaped fairing that forms the flowpath. For applications where this structure is located between the high-pressure turbine and low-pressure turbine it is referred to as a mid-turbine frame.
The mid-turbine frame fairings are typically not conducive to welding, and large-scale castings may be relatively expensive to manufacture. The mid-turbine frame fairings often employ single or double vane segments which are attached directly to the cold structure annular outer case or are mechanically joined to each other to form a full ring structure which is then attached to the cold structure. The segmented structure may require vane platform-to-platform sealing as well as sealing to the adjoining aero structures. Segmented structures may be subject to non-uniform deflections driven by thermal and pressure environment within the turbine section and may exhibit “shingling” between adjacent segments that may potentially result in leakage.